Ukraine News One
Putin blames Ukraine for crisis: EU and US say Russia behind East Ukraine insurgency
- Title
- Putin blames Ukraine for crisis: EU and US say Russia behind East Ukraine insurgency
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the Ukrainian crisis is a result of "irresponsible politics" and that an equal dialogue between Kyiv and separatists in the southeast of the country would be key to easing tensions. The Russian president also reiterated that the OSCE and Russia agreed to take "concrete steps" to de-escalate the conflict in Ukraine. Russia's Defence Ministry, meanwhile, announced that Ukraine had assembled 15,000 troops on its border with Russia and asked the West to stop "cynically misinforming" the international community about events on the frontier between the two countries. Kyiv, meanwhile, is on high alert ahead of May 9 WW2 Victory Day celebrations. Officials have cancelled the annual parade commemorating the event and warned residents of the capital of planned attempts by Kremlin-backed thugs to disrupt the festivities. Ukraine, along with the leaders of European countries, Japan and Canada have blamed the Kremlin for instigating the violence, which fol...
- Title
- East Ukraine Separatist Referendums: Kremlin-backed insurgents ignore Putin delay request
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Pro-Russian insurgents in Ukraine's eastern cities of Donetsk and Luhansk have confirmed they will hold a referendum on autonomy on May 11, despite President Vladimir Putin's belated request to postpone them. The Kyiv government and the West have labeled the vote illegitimate, weeks after insurgents seized key government buildings in almost a dozen cities and towns. The referendum, held in occupied areas without international observers, is expected to be rigged after a damaging phone call was published highlighting attempts to fix the result. Sunday's referendum is similar to Crimea's sham annexation vote, where 97% of residents supposedly voted to succeed from Kyiv, amid widespread claims of fraud. Despite this, hundreds of thousands of ballot papers have been printed as last minute preparations continue for this weekend.
- Title
- Russian Insurgency in East Ukraine: Ukrainian troops retake Mariupol City Hall building
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Ukrainian soldiers re-took the city hall in the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol 8 May from pro-Russian separatists after the building changed hands several times the previous day. Ukrainian officials have blamed violence throughout southern and eastern Ukraine on Kremlin-backed insurgents and have warned of provocations ahead of - and during - the 9 May Victory Day holiday.
- Title
- Russian Tourism Sector Slumps: EU and US visitors cancel bookings amid Ukraine invasion fears
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Foreign tourism to Russia is falling largely because of Moscow's invasion into parts of Ukraine's territory. About 10 to 15% of tour operators bookings have been cancelled, most of which were made in parts of Europe and the US over security fears. Western governments have frequently condemned President Putin's occupation of Crimea and invasion of parts of Ukraine's east.
- Title
- Moscow prepares for Victory Day: Red Army triumph over Nazis has key role in Putin propaganda
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Russian troops, tanks and missile launchers have filled Moscow's Red Square as final preparations are made for Victory Day. Thousands of soldiers chanting patriotic songs and waving flags, marched along Moscow's streets ahead of the event, used to celebrate the Soviet Union's victory against Hitler during WW2.
- Title
- Donetsk Separatists Snub Putin: Insurgents plan referendum despite Kremlin calls for delay
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine ignored a public call by Russian President Vladimir Putin to postpone a referendum on self-rule, declaring they would go ahead on Sunday with a vote widley condemned by the West
- Title
- Russian Army Still Threatening Ukraine: NATO chief rejects Vladimir Putin's troop withdrawal claims
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Russian President Vladimir Putin declared in Moscow on 7 May that Russian troops that had been placed near the border with Ukraine during the crisis had been withdrawn. That claim on 8 May was debunked by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who said in Warsaw that NATO has seen no concrete signs of Russian troops pulling back from the Ukrainian border. The US Department of Defense hours earlier also debunked Putin's claim, saying that contrary to reports from Russia, it had no evidence of any troop withdrawals from its shared border with Ukraine.
- Title
- Russian army still massed at Ukraine border: NATO chief disputes Putin troop withdrawal claims
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- NATO's Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has again called on Russia to stop supporting separatists in Ukraine and scale back troops from Ukraine's border. Rassmussen said Russia has been escalating this crisis from the start and should start living up to its international commitments. Russian President Vladimir Putin on 7 May announced that he had pulled troops back from the Ukrainian border. NATO and the US Pentagon hours later, however, said tens of thousands of Russian troops remained on Ukraine's borders. US and EU leaders have also asked the Kremlin to stop supporting armed insurgents in eastern and southern Ukraine, a charge Kremlin leaders deny, despite evidence to the contrary provided by Ukraine's State Security Service. A Kremlin-backed rebellion in eastern Ukraine has raised the prospect that Ukraine could be carved up or even descend into civil war, pitting Russian-speaking easterners against pro-European Ukrainian speakers in the West.
- Title
- Ukraine Slams Putin Pledges: Kremlin leader called on insurgents to postpone separatist referendums
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Ukraine has dismissed as "hot air" Russian President Vladimir Putin's May 7 appeal from Moscow to pro-Russian separatists in eastern regions to postpone a referendum on independence. Putin had called on the separatists to postpone the plebiscites, called for May 11 in Luhansk and Donetsk regions. More than a dozen cities there have been invaded by Kremlin-backed insurgents. Kyiv has ruled the Sunday polls illegal. Following Putin's remarks, Ukraine's Prime Minister Yatseniuk expressed surprise that Ukraine's internal affairs had been discussed without Ukrainian participation. He said he hoped the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and its proposed road map to ease tensions between Russia and Ukraine would reflect Ukrainian ideas, and not just Russian ones. Yatsenyuk reiterated that the Kremlin has so far refused to fulfil the promises it made in Geneva on April 17 to de-escalate tensions by withdrawing Russian special services units fomenting unrest in Donbas.
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- Slovyansk Separatism: Residents of insurgent-occupied Ukrainian city unsure about referendum
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Residents of the besieged city of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine have expressed their uncertainty of whether to cancell plans to hold a referendum on leaving Ukraine on Sunday, 11 May. Russian president Vladimir Putin on 07 May appealed to the organisers of the referendum - which Ukrainian officials call 'illegal' and 'bogus' - to postpone the vote until a later day. Ukrainian army troops have surrounded the city, which was occupied in April by Kremlin-backed insurgents
- Title
- Luhansk Russian Referendum Chaos: Kremlin-backed separatists mull Putin call to delay vote
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Leaders of pro-Russian separatist movements in Luhansk and Donetsk on 8 May discussed whether to abide by the request made by Moscow on 7 May to delay local plebiscites on leaving Ukraine. Government officials, as well as western leaders, have said the votes, which are planned for Sunday, March 11, are illegal and bogus.
- Title
- Putin Calls For Referendum Delay: Kremlin leader tells separatist insurgents to postpone vote
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 7 called on separatists in eastern and southern Ukraine told hold off on conducting the so-called referendum on leaving Ukraine set to be held on Sunday, May 11. Putin told reporters that the delay was necessary in order to create the necessary conditions for dialogue. He did not elaborate. Pro-Russian leaders have been making final preparations for this Sunday's widely condemned referendum to succeed from Ukraine. Over three million ballot papers are printed for the vote which organizers guarantee will go ahead unless there is war or a serious provocation. Kyiv and the West will discredit any result, in the wake of an almost identical sham referendum held over Crimea's annexation in March. Polling stations are set up in rebel-held areas including the restive cities of Slavyansk and Luhansk which are mainly controlled by armed militants.
- Title
- Russian Insurgency in East Ukraine: Chief prosecutor vows to punish Kremlin-backed separatists
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Ukraine's acting prosecutor general has told journalists that the government will crack down on separatists and those who are helping them take over eastern-Ukrainian cities. Oleh Makhnitsky announced he had been invested with the power to prosecute separatists and deputies involved in destabilizing the country and who threatened territorial integrity. Although he did not set a date, Makhnitsky said he would address parliament soon with a list of deputies believed to have helped the separatists and table a motion in parliament to prosecute them. Makhnitsky also said all those who proclaimed to be in control of Luhansk and Donetsk local authorities would go to court.
- Title
- Putin Calls Off Separatist Referendums: Russian leader tentatively backs Ukraine presidential poll
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Russian president Vladimir Putin on 7 May called on pro-Russia groups in eastern Ukraine to postpone a planned referendum on independence, fuelling hopes of an easing of the crisis with Ukraine and further sanctions. Putin said he would pull Russian troops away from Ukraine's border. In a shift from recent more hardline comments by senior Russian officials, Mr Putin also said Ukraine's plans to hold presidential elections on May 25 were a "step in the right direction."
- Title
- Donetsk Separatist Referendum Preps: Kremlin-backed insurgents prepare for secession vote
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Despite calls on 7 May by Russian President Vladimir Putin for eastern Ukrainian separatist leaders to delay staging a vote on leaving Ukraine, the Donetsk People's Republic continued to prepare for its May 11 referendum.
- Title
- Japan Appeals to Kremlin: PM Abe joins NATO in warning Russia over Ukraine aggression
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has again urged Russia to respect the results of the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine. Speaking after a meeting at NATO's headquarters in Brussels, Abe said his country would not tolerate the use of force to end the current status-quo in Ukraine.
- Title
- Battle for Slovyansk: Kremlin-backed insurgents dig in with Russian-made anti-tank weapons
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- There have been reports of renewed fighting near Slovyansk in eastern Ukraine, where Kremlin-backed insurgents are battling Ukrainian troops for control of the bridgehead separatists have occupied since early April. According to Ukraine's Defense Ministry, a group of insurgents unsuccessfully attempted to leave the city.
- Title
- Battle for Slovyansk: Fighting resumes between Ukrainian forces and Kremlin-backed insurgents
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Ukrainian troops on 7 May continued to battle pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Separatist rebels reportedly pulled back from barricades on the outskirts of the city and began mining government buildings they captured in early April. Schools in the city remained closed, and residents were advised to keep indoors.
- Title
- Israeli Independence Day: Jewish state celebrates 66th anniversary of foundation
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Israelis on Tuesday (May 06) celebrated the nation's 66th anniversary, with family barbecues, military honour guards and a reception at the presidential residence. Israeli President Shimon Peres marched next to his chief of staff Benny Gantz as they inspected the honour guard, with the Israeli army marching band playing in the background.
- Title
- Was Odesa Trade Union Blaze Russian Provocation? Poroshenko says evidence points to toxic gas
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- New evidence has come to light which shows that the massive fire in Odesa last Friday that claimed the lives of over 40 people was an organized attack and that toxic gas was used. Those claims come from Ukrainian parliament member and presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko who says the fire in the Trades Union building was a terrorist attack that was organized by Russian saboteurs.
- Title
- Ukraine Ready For Talks: Kyiv to hold fresh round of Geneva talks if Russia supports election
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Ukraine's Acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia says that his country is ready to participate in a new round of talks in Geneva with Russia in order to de-escalate the tension in eastern Ukraine, but only if Moscow supports the May 25 vote.
- Title
- Russian Soldiers in Ukraine: Country's security chief slams insurgents for human shield tactics
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Ukraine's security chief has confirmed that soldiers from Russia have been found in eastern Ukraine, that they are in control of illegal weapons and that they have been shooting at civilians. The comments from Valentyn Nalyvaychenko, who added that more than 30 pro-Russian separatists were killed in fighting near the rebel stronghold of Slovyansk in eastern Ukraine.
- Title
- Crimean Referendum Fraud Exposed: Kremlin human rights body reports low Crimea voter turnout
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- In what is being seen as an embarrassment for Moscow, a Russian government website has posted a blog entry reporting an extremely low voter turnout during the March referendum in Crimea over the peninsula's annexation.
- Title
- Ukrainian Foreign Minister ready for more Geneva talks if Russia supports presidential election
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Ukrainian Acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia attended the Council of Europe conference in Vienna and said that Ukraine is ready to back a new round of talks in Geneva in a bid to de-escalate a political crisis with Russia, as long as Moscow supports presidential elections on May 25.
- Title
- Russian troops rehearse for Victory Day parade: Putin regime keen to exploit Soviet WWII victory
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Russian military troops and equipment filled Red Square on Monday (May 5) night as thousands of soldiers with hundreds of vehicles practiced for the upcoming Victory Day parade.
Russia has decided also to march troops in Crimea during Victory Day on May 9th.
- Title
- Russian troops using human shields in Ukraine: Kremlin forces accused of hiding behind civilians
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has met government troops fighting pro-Kremlin forces who have invaded the east of the country who he says are hampered by the fact that the militants are using human shields to deter a final assault on the rebel stronghold of Slovyansk.
- Title
- US poised to plunge Russian banking sector into panic by applying IRS tax evasion legislation
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Bankers in Moscow are struggling to come to terms with new US financial penalties which may have far-reaching consequences for the gas-powered Russian economy. The US is using a new anti-tax-evasion law to punish Moscow for its actions in Ukraine, a measure that could become more effective than various sanctions announced in recent weeks which did little to deter the Kremlin's defacto war against Ukraine.
- Title
- Putin awards Russian TV for Crimea coverage: Kremlin-controlled media accused of propaganda role
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Vladimir Putin has awarded 300 journalists for what Russia is calling "objective coverage" of the events in Crimea. The awards went to people working for Kremlin-friendly media outlets such as Channel One and RT, Russia's main foreign-language propaganda network.
- Title
- Victory Day in Ukraine: Ukrainians reject Russia-tainted St. George ribbons and adopt poppy symbol
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- This year on Victory Day in Ukraine, organisers for WWII commemorations are urging Ukrainians to wear a red poppy instead of the more traditional St. George's Ribbon, which in recent months has suffered from associations with pro-Russian separatism in Ukraine. The move is designed to distance Ukrainian commemorations from the increasingly bombastic nationalism of the Kremlin while still acknowledging the debt owed to those who died defeating Nazism.
- Title
- Donetsk Airport Reopens: Brief closure came as region grapples with Kremlin-backed separatist threat
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Flights resume at Donetsk airport after brief closure which Kyiv officials say was due to fighting in Slovyansk, a city located about 120 kilometers from Donetsk.
- Title
- Human Rights Watch: Dozens still held hostage by Kremlin-backed separatists in East Ukraine
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Human Rights Watch is calling for the release of people who have been abducted by pro-Russian separatists in eastern regions of Ukraine. The humanitarian group has been documenting kidnappings of journalists, activists, and local officials since the crisis in the region began.
- Title
- Plane crashes into Denver house: no injuries reported following dramatic Colorado crash
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- A small plane has crashed into a house in Northglenn, some 19 km north of Denver, Colorado although no injuries were reported. No one was home at the time of the crash and a pilot walked away uninjured, NBC news reported. Firefighters said the plane crashed around 4 pm local time into the roof of the two-story house causing significant damage.
- Title
- Ukrainian tennis star dies of liver cancer: 30-year-old Elena Baltacha was former British No. 1
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Former British tennis star Elena Baltacha has died at the age of 30 after a short battle with liver cancer, the announcement came from the Lawn Tennis Association. Many paid tribute to Baltacha, who was born in Kyiv but moved to Britain after her father, who was a professional soccer player, signed a deal with a Scottish club.
- Title
- Kremlin Accused of Exploiting Odesa Deaths: Online claims of anti-Semitic fascists prove false
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- A coordinated campaign of anti-Ukraine propaganda is back in the spotlight after claims of atrocities and anti-Semitism following the deadly violence in Odesa last week look like as though they were fabricated. On May 2, a peaceful group of Ukrainians marched in Odesa in support of Ukrainian unity.
- Title
- Odesa Separatist Violence: White House says America joins Ukraine in mourning Odesa deaths
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- The White House says that America mourns together with the Ukrainian people over the deaths of more than 40 people in Odessa last week and said that Russia must stop destabilizing the former Soviet nation. Most of the dead were caught in a building set on fire after pro-Russian activists attacked a peaceful pro-Ukraine rally with guns, baseball bats and improvised weaponry.
- Title
- NATO in Eastern Europe: US and Canadian forces hold military drills in Poland amid Russia threat
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- U.S. and Canadian troops have carried out military drills along with their counterparts in a desert in south Poland, as part of efforts to reassure NATO allies in eastern Europe worried about Russia's annexation of Crimea. The soldiers conducted training in parachuting, airborne operations and infantry skills in the U.S.-led exercise with a view to enhancing Alliance interoperability.
- Title
- IMF Forecast for Ukraine: Ukrainian GDP set to fall by 5% in 2014 but will rebound in 2015
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Ukraine's GDP will fall by about 5 percent in 2014, according to the International Monetary Fund. But even with weak economic prospects and inflation expected to reach 16 percent by the end of the year, the IMF predicts the GDP will actually rebound by 2 percent in 2015.
- Title
- Ukrainian presidential elections receive international support: Francois Hollande backs 25 May vote
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- The upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine have been receiving international support with French President Francois Hollande saying that 'the May 25th vote must take place and nothing must impede it'. He went on to underline that a general agreement must be found, so that the result of the vote is 'accepted and undisputed'.
- Title
- East Ukraine Insurgency: Fatalities as Kremlin-backed rebels clash with Ukrainian armed forces
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Heavy fighting has broken out in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk between Kremlin-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces. Initial reports suggest that there have been fatalities but details were not immediately clear.
- Title
- Crimean Tatar leader slams Russia: Mustafa Dzhemilev says Kremlin seeks to divide Tatars
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- The Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev has said that Russia is trying to divide his people and has slammed Moscow for cracking down on the Muslim minority in the Black Sea Peninsula. [9.2]
Dzhemilev has also voiced his concern for the May 18 anniversary of the forcible deportation of Tatars from Crimea 70 years ago by the Soviet Union, which resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of Tatars.
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- Dramatic Ukrainian Military Footage: Soldiers transport prisoners and supplies in East Ukraine
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Ukrainian military video filmed on Sunday (May 4) and released on Monday (May 5) shows soldiers transporting supplies and prisoners on board helicopters around Kramatorsk, south of Slaviansk, in eastern Ukraine.
The military has been fighting pro-Russian separatists in the region and the interior ministry on Monday said violence had flared up again.
- Title
- Kremlin trolls invade international online media: UK's Guardian highlights massive Russian campaign
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Nasty, abusive and sometimes incredibly aggressive, that's the kind of comments The Guardian newspaper says are being posted daily by pro-Russia supporters on its comment threads on stories that deal with Ukraine. Thousands of regular comments are posted daily on The Guardian's online site, but Guardian moderators say they are dealing with some 40,000 offensive comments per day and that 'it's a result of an orchestrated pro-Russian campaign.'
- Title
- Odesa citizens back new police chief as Ukrainian patriots mourn victims of Trade Union fire
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Hundreds have marched through the streets of the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa in support of a united Ukraine. Atendees pledged their support for newly appointed police chief Ivan Katerinchuk. Katerinchuk replaces Pyotr Lutsyuk, who was fired following violent clashes in the city last Friday which left more than 40 people dead. Protesters said they were out to resist pro-Russian separatists, who attacked a demonstration and triggered Friday's chaos.
- Title
- Putin's War on Ukraine: Ukraine's acting president Turchynov says Russia is at war with Ukraine
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Ukraine's acting president says Russia is at war with Ukraine and that local support for Moscow is a 'colossal problem' in eastern Ukraine. Oleksander Turchynov made the comments in a rare televised interview where he stated that there are many patriots in Ukraine that are ready to protect the country but in the eastern cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, there are many people that are supporting separatists and terrorists.
- Title
- Russia Threatens Crimean Tatars: Kremlin warns it could liquidate Mejlis assembly for 'extremism'
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Crimean prosecutors are warning Crimean Tatars there that their representative body, known as the Mejlis, could be liquidated if they engage in so-called "extremist" activity. The warning came after Crimean Tatars held a demonstration over the weekend when they heard news that their spiritual leader, Mustafa Dzhemilev, was not allowed to enter the peninsula.
- Title
- Odesa Mourns Blaze Victims: Ukrainians pay respects to those killed in deadly 2 May clashes
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Mourners gathered in the Black Sea port city of Odesa to pay their final respects to those killed during clashes in the city centre and a fire in the trade union building on May 2.
- Title
- East Ukraine Insurgency: Heavy fighting erupts between Kremlin-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Pro-Russian separatists ambushed Ukrainian forces on Monday (May 5), triggering heavy fighting on the outskirts of the rebel stronghold of Slovyansk, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov was quoted as saying.
A Reuters correspondent said at least two separatist armoured personnel carriers and several rebels fled the area, where almost continuous gunfire had been heard since morning.
- Title
- Putin plans to turn Crimea into casino haven: Ukrainian peninsula is under Russian army occupation
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- In 2006 President Putin launched a crusade against gambling in Russia, going as far as calling gambling a dangerous addiction and a magnet for organized crime, which led to the closure of most Russian casinos and slot machine vendors. Now however president Putin has announced that it is his plan to create a gambling zone in Crimea, with Las Vegas style hotel casinos.
- Title
- White Tiger Cubs in Crimea: Yalta zoo welcomes arrival of four rare baby Bengal white tigers
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- A rare Bengal white tiger has given birth to four cubs at a zoo in the Crimean town of Yalta on the Black Sea.
- Title
- East Ukraine Insurgency: Ukrainian army cuts off main road to rebel-held Slovyansk
- Date posted
- 12 years ago
- Description
- Ukrainian army cuts off main road to Slovyansk as government forces continue campaign to remove separatists and pro-Russian rebels from the area. Ukrainian President Oleksander Turchynov has stated that Russia is at war with Ukraine.
